Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital And Research Centre, Vizag

Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital & Research Centre (HBCHRC), Visakhapatnam

A unit of Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai(A Grants-in-Aid Institution, Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India)

Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital & Research Centre at Visakhapatnam caters to cancer patients from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and Telangana.

Clinical Services were started on the site of the main campus in Aganampudi on 2 June 2014. The facility is entirely operational from temporary accommodation consisting of porta cabins and a few brick-and-mortar buildings.

It offers a range of services: cancer prevention and screening services, cancer diagnostics including biochemistry with tumour markers, histo-cyto-hematopathology and immunohistochemistry, molecular tests, digital radiography, mammography and sonography, the entire range of chemotherapy, and, palliative care services, all on an outpatient basis.

Majority of the ‘temporary’ buildings were made possible by generous donors, including most of the equipment.

HBCHRC also provide 3 meals a day at the city centre and a lunch at the main campus, free of cost to all patients and an attendant, entirely sustained on donations.

HBCHRC have 2 buses, 1 van, 1 ambulance and a staff car - all on philanthropy.

The City Centre

Under corporate social responsibility, the Port Authority of Visakhapatnam leased HBCHRC a floor in their hospital. Here, using donations, HBCHRC have created a modern operation theatre, a 5 bedded intensive care unit and 3 cabins of 6 beds each. The facility is functional since June 2014 and is mainly used for surgeries and in patient care, prior to which, surgeries were performed at the St. Joseph’s Hospital.

HBCHRC also have ‘temporary’ accommodation in 2 locations for the staff: in the nearby Port Hospital Residential Area as well as on the Hills along the beach.

HBCHRC also have the following equipment on donation: apharesis unit (for stem cell transplants), a hemodialysis unit, a water treatment plant, hysteroscopy and laparoscopy equipment, and a digital colposcopy unit for the main campus.

Present Scenario

HBCHRC run eight out-patient clinics every day at the Main Campus in Aganampudi: medical and paediatric oncology, gynaecological oncology, surgical oncology, head and neck oncology, palliative care, physiotherapy and entire range of cancer pharmacy services.

HBCHRC also take care of hospice and home care, in association with the Senhasandhya Age Care Foundation.

The Jiv Daya Foundation of Dallas, USA supports the childhood cancer and palliative care services with a nurse and social worker for each of the areas.

HBCHRC conduct at least one rural cancer screening camp a month in association with the

There is an exclusive kitchen cum canteen for both patients and staff.

HBCHRC also have an EPABX and 3 internet connections from BSNL, RailTel and Reliance. There is complete power back up with a generator.

The Patient load and Projections

HBCHRC cater to nearly 150 to 175 patients in a day. Last year, HBCHRC registered 2879 new patients. This year, HBCHRC hope to touch 4000 to 4500 new patients. The review patient load is nearly 8 times that figure!

The Status of the Main Hospital

Construction of several hospital buildings in the main campus is nearing completion: the registration block, the radiotherapy cum imaging block, the dharmashala, the nurses hostel, doctors hostel, services block, kitchen & canteen and the power house with generators.

Apart from the instrumentation and for each of these blocks, the pending works include services: water, electricity, telephony, local area network, elevators, plumbing, sullage and sewage, air conditioning and roads. The same are expected to be completed by the 3rd quarter of this year.

A Bhabhatron has been installed and needs to be commissioned after due calibration once power is in place. The Linear Accelerators, the MRI, CT Scan, DSA, Gamma Camera, PET-CT and other high end equipment are likely to be installed and functional by the end of the year.

The civil structure of main hospital building – outpatient clinics and inpatient wards as well as the operation theatres and the intensive care units is likely to be completed by about the middle of next year.

Page Under Construction.

Dr. Digumarti Raghuadharan, Director

At present, the 5 full time medical staff include: 1 anaesthetist, 2 head and neck surgeons, a biochemist and a pathologist. The 3 ad-hoc medical staff include: 1 each of radiologist, gynaecological oncologist and a palliative care specialists. Five 4th-year bond-doctors from TMC work in anaesthesiology, surgical oncology, radiology, physiotherapy and medical oncology rotate for a few months each.

About 11 permanent nurses and 7 ad-hoc nurses are presently manning all the stations.

All the administrative staff (5), accounts (2), the registry staff (8), the services staff and the technical staff (6) are all ad-hoc staff.

It is imperative that HBCHRC recruit additional medical, nursing, scientific, technical and administrative staff as early as possible to be able to meet the impending demand.

This will enable us to offer services in those areas that are distinctly ABSENT in cancer armamentarium both in diagnostics and in treatment, especially bone and soft tissue, hemato lymphoid, transplantation, thoracic, neurosurgical and paediatric cancers.